I loved this book so much, I did’nt want it to end and was sad when I finished it. Beautifully written, the author has a gift of pulling you into the story as if you’re living it as well.

This is one of the rare books that I have read that I did not want to end. It’s brilliant.

It is a bit strange that a man could have written this, but I think it speaks to the universality of human experiences. Many people feel the ending falls flat, but I think the author wanted to show a contrast in Sayuri’s later life to her beginning. Also, Sayuri says that once the Chairman became her danna, her life was not the struggle it had always been before.

I found so many of the characters fascinating. I wished we got to know more about what made Hotsumomo such a monster too.

The fact that the war intrudes on the story and breaks the action up was a bit irritating, but that it the way with such things in real life…no one expects them and then no one expects them to last so long or to cause so much disruption.

I felt guilty reading this book for some reason. I can’t help but imagine that the life of a geisha around the time of the second World War would have been especially troubling. Reading a book written by an American man retelling the fictional story of a geisha though, almost seemed wrong. I understand that Arthur Golden did a tremendous amount of research on the topic on top of what he already knew of the subject of Japanese history, however as much as I want to believe that this could possibly be even remotely accurate as historical fiction, I can’t.

I feel guilty mostly because I know so little about Geisha in the first place. I don’t know whether or not I can believe Mr. Golden when he tries to reassure me that he was indeed accurate in the day-to-day life of a Geisha.

Supposing he was correct though, the information was amazing. The story wasn’t anything spectacular. In fact, the basis of the story has been told over and over and over again. Poor girl endures hardships and ends up with a happy life. The history behind the story and the detail that goes into describing what it means to be a geisha is why the book should be read.

I would have preferred it if the book didn’t take place around War World II though. I would have been more interested in following a geisha throughout a life not interrupted by the pangs of war. It would have been interesting for Sayuri to take an apprentice under her own wings and allowed the story to come full circle in that way.

The one thing that seemed most artificial about the book was Sayuri’s infatuation with The Chairman, a character she encounters once during her childhood and can’t ever get from her mind. He showed her kindness when he first met her and had probably been the only person in her life to show her true kindness, so her early infatuation with him was understandable. As her life continued though, the whole thing just seemed unnatural.

I could have stopped three quarters of the way through the book and been happy. I didn’t really care for the last hundred pages or so and just kept reading to get through the book. Overall though, this is one of the best books I’ve read so far (if not the best book) If you have any interest in history at all and haven’t yet read this book, it’s an absolute must.

i finished this in a week, but as i journeyed through sayuri’s life with her it felt like much longer. at the moment i’m living in tokyo so it was good to be immersed in a more traditional version of japan that gives a little perspective on the crazy neon version that exists now. the book is beautifully written, especially the allusions to nature, and murmurings about destiny, and it’s weird how sayuri subtely changes as she grows older and wiser but still maintains some childhood innocence. my only qualm is the way that nobu just disappears, and that sayuri seems a bit passive at times. if she’d met nobu just once more she would’ve had to face herself maybe. amazing book though.

Just like Sayuri in the movie, the main character beautifully personifies nature. The jokes and allusions in the book, although sparse, are relatively humorous. An all around good read; long, detailed, and interesting.

Amazing! The experience is enhanced by the discussion questions found at readinggroupguides.com

This book was absorbing, entertaining and mostly forgettable I had a difficult time writing this review because already, the details are slipping from my mind). For me, it was a book to be ‘experienced,’ but not necessarily read again. It’s a shame I couldn’t get the book at the library – The waitlist was 802 people long, so I had to purchase my own copy. It’s not a book I would necessarily keep in my library.

The story was interesting and kept me turning the pages, but I wasn’t moved by it. I didn’t feel any sympathy or empathy with the main character of the story. The supporting characters felt a bit lopsided to me, particularly the men, who seemed like cardboard cutouts. I would have liked to know more about what they were thinking, feeling, and plotting. Because of this, the story seemed incomplete. I was fascinated by the detailed descriptions of the life of Geishas. As the book drew to a close, I was becoming bored with the whole thing. I found the ending predicatable and anticlimatic.

I’m definitely planning to see the movie. The goalie on my hockey team told me that the film is actually better than the book. I’ll reserve judgment, but I have a feeling that if the costumes and scenery of World War II Era Kyoto are depicted with any accuracy, I may enjoy the film very much.

loved loved loved this book. I have re-read it a couple of times already. Now I just have to watch the movie to see if it does the book justice.

Good stuff, fascinating and all, but I agree that the ending petered out.

The novel was beautifully vivid, and I couldn’t put it down. I thought the ending fell a bit flat, but I’d say the first ¾ of the book is fantastic.

Can’t put it down, part of me is in California and another part immersed in the vibrat colours, smells, and tastes of Kyoto.

So I realize I missed the boat on this one by about 6 years, but I was sick, in Kyoto, and had nothing else to read, so I picked it up as “theme reading.” It’s just great (I know, that’s what everyone was saying 6 years ago). Well-told story, melancholy but not really depressing, interesting insight into Japan’s development in the 20th century. After finishing it, I dragged Sam to the geisha district in Kyoto and found the theater and teahouses mentioned in the book.

An enjoyable book, for the most part. I can’t comment on the accuracy of the portrayal of pre- and during-WWII Japan, but enjoyed reading what was presented. I found the book started slow, and the ending was disappointing, but enjoyed the struggle against the rival geisha. Ultimately, I didn’t end up sympathizing with Sayuri as much as could’ve been, though.

A delightfully written book that opens a window onto the mysterious realm of the geisha.

Currently reading this brilliant, literary gem… I got this today, after 49 days of “traveling in the wilds” from another member of Bookcrossing.com

Haunting. Echos of time gone.

Audiobook

I have tried for so long to read this book and never got into it… but when I finally got it on tape, I loved it!!!

Grade: B+: A great read, and will hold up to a re-reading very well.